


Advent 18

by darksquall, lanapanda



Series: Science Boys Advent 2012 [9]
Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Christmas Tree, Fluff, M/M, Smut, We snuck in some smut too, advent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-18
Updated: 2012-12-18
Packaged: 2017-11-21 11:59:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/597514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darksquall/pseuds/darksquall, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanapanda/pseuds/lanapanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finding a caterer, decorating the tree, ringing bells -- Tony loves it when a plan comes together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advent 18

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The characters and places contained herein do not belong to me and I am making no money from this.

New discovery #43 in wedding planning: Getting caterers on short notice for a full service menu was an exercise in calculated insanity. Out of the six potential caterers that JARVIS had identified, only three had people on staff that would be able to handle both the cake and the menu, and out of those three, two were willing and able to handle the timeline -- one of which bowed out as soon as it was mentioned that they’d need to sign an NDA in order to plan the event.  
  
Tony was immensely grateful that Bruce was handling it all. He’d even managed to get a tasting set up with the last reliable caterer in Manhattan on a relatively quiet Sunday afternoon. In exchange, Tony had agreed to get out the holiday decorations that they’d been neglecting to put up in their excitement over the wedding.  
  
Their previous (and first) Christmas together had been... incredible, if still somewhat tremulous. Six months together meant that there was no awkwardness over presents. Still, there was more than enough distraction to go around between two men who hadn’t celebrated Christmas properly in decades suddenly finding themselves spending a major holiday together as a couple.  
  
Tony had gotten JARVIS to act as their on-call photographer for a lot of the ‘traditional’ things -- the two of them decorating the tree, the two of them sharing cocoa on the balcony and hanging holiday lights... and the impromptu snowball fight that left them both shivery and laughing like ten-year-olds in the snow.  
  
There were a few less than traditional pictures too. Tony’s favorite was one of him and Bruce kissing in a tangle of Christmas lights that they’d decided to use logarithmic searching on, in order to find the one burnt out bulb in the strand. They’d found the light in the end, but they’d also found each other and the way the little fairy lights glowed against Bruce’s skin in that picture was one of Tony’s fondest memories.     
  
He was looking forward to similar shenanigans this year, even with the wedding plans and work taking up so much of their free time, even on the weekends.  
  
“Bells. I want bells on our tree here that actually ring, since the garters do not,” Tony announced to Bruce as he walked past the couch where Tony was seated and taking out the newly arrived ornaments to go with the ones from their last Christmas.  
  
Bruce paused and leaned against the back of the couch, looking over Tony’s shoulder. “Okay, should we go shopping in person or are we ordering online?”  
  
Tony considered shopping in person for half a second, then dismissed it. They wouldn’t be able to hold hands or kiss for the entire trip. Shopping online was also out -- Tony wanted to be able to ring a few bells before he picked the ones he wanted. Which meant there was only one solution. “... shopping? We have a metal shop, Bruce.”  
  
Bruce laughed and shook his head. "Okay but you need to wear something without sleeves if you're going to start hammering.”  
  
Tony paused in unpacking the decorations and looked over his shoulder at Bruce, “You... don’t like shirts with sleeves today? I can accommodate that.”  
  
“I like shirts with sleeves just fine. However, I have my kinks.”  
  
“Well, now you’re going to have to share this one with me, so I fulfill it properly,” Tony said as he stood up, decorations forgotten for the moment, and walked around to lean against the couch next to Bruce.  
  
Bruce looked Tony over and smiled. “Already did. You, bare arms, working with metal.”  
  
Tony tipped his head. ”Bruce. You can have that every day.”  
  
“That would mean letting you out of bed, Love.”  
  
Tony grinned. Bruce could make the most wicked and sensual ideas sound perfectly innocent just with his tone of voice and that deceptively shy-seeming smile. “Only until I work up a good sweat. Then you could come and... relieve me of my metalworking duties.”  
  
Bruce leaned in and brushed his lips against Tony’s softly before he spoke, “Some days, even a minute is too much."  
  
That brief frisson of contact was enough to send a curl of longing down Tony’s spine, and he pulled Bruce that much closer to trade kisses at length. ”On those days, we work from bed.”  
  
It was three or four kisses later when Tony remembered the decorations, and the fact that he was still holding a sprig of mistletoe in one hand. He held it up, over both of their heads, and gave Bruce one more lingering kiss.  
  
The shift in the way Tony held him made Bruce look up, and he laughed at seeing the mistletoe. “Love you.”  
  
“Love you back,” Tony said with a grin. “Had to get in a holiday kiss. Now... where to put these for ninja kissing opportunities...?” He shook the little sprig of mistletoe gently.  
  
“Is that kissing ninjas, or kissing like a ninja?”  
  
“Hmm... that’s a good question,” Tony said with a thoughtful smile. “How do ninjas kiss, I wonder...”  
  
“Undetected,” Bruce said before stealing a swift kiss as he slipped away from Tony to head down to the metalworking lab.  
  
Tony laughed and followed. ”I wonder if I can rig up mobile mistletoe that tracks you all around the tower.”  
  
"You need excuses to kiss me?” Bruce smiled and shook his head as they got on the elevator to the lab.  
  
“No, but the mistletoe is like a kissing enabler.”  
  
“So put some in every room.”  
  
“I could do that too,” Tony said thoughtfully and he hugged Bruce from behind as the elevator made its descent.  
  
Bruce laughed and leaned back against Tony. "We should make that a Christmas tradition.”  
  
“Yes. Mistletoe and bells,” Tony agreed with a grin.  
  
“After all, we'll have an anniversary to celebrate too," Bruce said and he led the way out of the elevator once the doors opened.  
  
“And a honeymoon to revisit,” Tony added.  
  
Bruce paused when they got to the door of the lab and looked at Tony over his shoulder. "Mmhm, I think I'd like that.”  
  
Tony slipped an arm around Bruce from behind and put one hand over his fiancé’s heart, sidling as close as possible. “I’ll make sure you do,” he murmured into Bruce’s ear. “Repeatedly.”  
  
Bruce squeezed Tony's hand and shivered faintly. "Mmm. Even without the mistletoe?”  
  
“I think I can manage. But if you want, I can hang some over our bed... “ Tony nipped at Bruce’s ear and then slid past him to reach the door of the lab, opening it for them both.  
  
On the weekends, the Tower was fairly peaceful -- not too many workers downstairs, and the upstairs labs were mostly for Tony’s private projects anyway. The metalworking lab was one of the few places that would occasionally draw a couple of the other researchers around who wanted to prototype a project, but on this quiet afternoon Tony was pleased to note that he and Bruce had the place to themselves.  
  
Bruce followed Tony into the lab, and gestured to bring the lights up. “That sounds like a good idea.”  
  
“Assuming we don’t get distracted by the bed before we manage to hang it?” Tony teased. He enjoyed their little distractions to the point that orchestrating circumstances that made them more common had become something of a hobby.  
  
Bruce pretended to consider the point thoughtfully, and he pulled up the screens for Tony as they stood side-by-side. “...good point, one of us may need to go in alone.”  
  
“But neither of us can reach alone,” Tony replied with a grin as he loaded up the CAD interface next to the the 3D modeling interface.    
  
“They make these things called Ladders, Tony,” Bruce said with an eyebrow raised in his direction.  
  
“Too risky.”  
  
Bruce chuckled at Tony’s wicked expression. "Okay, we'll pin it to the headboard.”  
  
“Hey, do you want to risk a ladder-related incident this close to the wedding?” Tony asked, and he looked over at Bruce as the very picture of innocence.  
  
“I'm agreeing!” Bruce held up his hands in surrender and laughed. Getting Bruce to laugh out loud always made Tony feel like he’d accomplished something special. Years on the run, a past that had made for a very quiet, very outwardly-solemn personality... Breaking through that to get Bruce to the point that he actually laughed, eyes closed, and completely in the moment was a present in and of itself.  
  
Tony laughter joined with Bruce’s, and he linked up the 2D and 3D outputs on the holographic field. ”So, let’s get to work making some bells, and while they fab, we can decorate the rest of the penthouse?” He shrugged out of his shirt -- proving that he hadn’t forgotten Bruce’s earlier request to see his arms, though Tony was pretty sure there wouldn’t be anything to hammer until the next morning.  
  
Bruce kissed Tony's shoulder and hugged him from behind. "The bells won't really ring but close enough."  
  
Tony took his time drawing the initial outline. It was a stepped spiral with bell cutouts and curlicues that would be suspended at regular intervals. “These will be more like a wind chime, but they will ring, promise.” He leaned back a bit, letting Bruce hold him up. ”I can make a cast for a real set of bells, but I’m not sure we have time for that. Besides, with these, you’ll get to see me hammer tomorrow before work.”  
  
“Before work? Is that wise?” Bruce asked, and he brushed his lips against Tony’s ear, making him shiver.  
  
It was more than just having decorations that fit with the wedding theme. Christmas for Tony had always been a scripted affair growing up. He was expected to wear very specific clothes, say very specific things, and leave again at a very specific time. It was elaborate and showy and everything matched and the food was measured to the same angle placement on every plate and he had to open piles of presents while pretending to be surprised and delighted by each one. That last wasn’t so bad, in and of itself. It was the fact that most of the presents were from business associates of his father and the pictures were for the paper and nothing was really for Tony at all...  
  
But from now on, every Christmas from this one forward, was going to be for him and for Bruce. And they could have noisy bells and a tree with ornaments that didn’t match and they could mash cake into each other’s faces and say to hell with whatever the press wanted to think, and no one could take that away. No one.  
  
Tony reveled in that close contact, and for a moment his hands faltered at the controls of the screens in front of them. “You’ll just have to control yourself, Doctor,” he said breathlessly. And as if to contravene that idea entirely, Tony rolled his hips and rocked back against Bruce, pressing close enough for deliberate friction. His breath caught when he felt Bruce’s body respond and Bruce held him that much closer. He started tracing out the outline for the bells themselves with their bodies still pressed together, savoring the little hints of that responsiveness he was getting from Bruce.  
  
“We only have two days more -- I am _not_ going to deny myself a chance to enjoy watching you work and the usual aftermath of it,” Bruce said, and his voice was just a little rougher as he spoke, murmuring into Tony’s ear before nipping at it.  
  
“Then maybe you should tell me what you have in mind so I can properly plan for it.”Tony tried to pretend that he didn’t notice that hitch to his own voice, that he was doing just what he was supposed to -- designing bells for their tree and the doorway to the den -- and not getting impossibly turned on by the way Bruce’s mouth felt against his ear. He was especially not paying attention to the jolt of pleasure that flashed through his body, hot and sudden, right at the moment Bruce nipped him.  
  
Bruce’s breath was warm against Tony’s neck when he replied, “Tackling you to the nearest surface and ravishing you senseless?”  
  
Self-control... was not one of Tony’s general strong suits. He only had so much willpower and he tended to save it up for things like avoiding the f-bomb when talking to senate committees and not punching pushy reporters in the throat when they got too close. This left precious little self-control for other situations that might crop up, such as his fiancé deliberately turning him on in the middle of an unrestricted lab space.  
  
Tony tried to ignore it. Or rather, he tried not to let Bruce’s words and that warm, soft mouth and the way he could feel Bruce getting hard right against him be a distraction. He took deep breaths and worked on finishing up the last bell’s design on the tier. But every breath he took, every heartbeat was just one more moment passing until the inevitable. Finally, there was no ignoring it. Tony pushed the screen out of the way, turned in the circle of Bruce’s arms, and kissed him hotly, one hand tangled in Bruce’s hair and the other at his hip.  
  
His reward was feeling Bruce’s lips part and his fiancé deepening that kiss. Bruce slid his hands over Tony’s hips like he owned every inch of him, and pulled Tony that much closer. "Mmm."  
  
Tony finally came up for air amid many little kisses and gasps, and then rested his forehead against Bruce’s. ”We only have... twenty minutes before the caterers get here with the menu samples. We have to decorate the tree. I can’t go down on you, even though I really, really really want to. Right now.” Was already imagining it, in fact. The way Bruce would tremble and moan... the taste of him, the feel of his bare skin...  
  
Bruce’s groan of frustrated lust sent a shiver down Tony’s spine, even before Bruce spoke. "No, but you can turn me on and leave me hard while they give us the samples?" He took a deep breath, smiled at Tony and then nipped at him teasingly. "Okay, let's decorate the tree.”  
  
It was only twenty minutes. Not long enough to have sex the way he and Bruce generally had sex. Not long enough for the way he wanted to have sex. Not long enough for the clinging, desperate way their bodies could fit together in a moment of need and want and pleasure. But it was, technically, more than enough time for Tony to back Bruce against the wall and slide a hand over the front of his pants.  
  
Tony found himself doing just that, before he could help himself. They didn’t _have_ to have the tree completely decorated by the time the caterers got there. It could be half-finished. No one had to know...  
  
Bruce wrapped his arms around Tony and groaned his name, rocking into his hand and kissing him hungrily. It was all the encouragement Tony could have asked for and then some. There was something immensely pleasurable about the way Bruce responded, his voice so full of passion and need. Tony had found it irresistible the very first time they’d kissed, and now was no different.  
  
He stroked his hand along Bruce’s cock through the fabric of his pants, but only once. There was no time to tease -- they only had 20 (no 18!) minutes and his impatience meant that Tony was already unfastening Bruce’s pants as he pressed close to kiss him again. ”Nnn... let’s see how fast I can make you come for me.”  
  
Bruce’s reply was a shudder, and he groaned Tony’s name again in between the hot, desperate kisses Tony pressed against his lips.  "Oh god, please... _please_..." He kept kissing Tony as often as he could manage, each one a little more desperate, a little more needy, as if those kisses were his lifeline and if Tony stopped, it would hurt. Tony pressed his thigh against Bruce and Bruce rolled his hips to grind against his fiancé and get every slip of friction he could.  
  
Feeling Bruce’s hard cock through the fabric of his pants made Tony’s body respond in kind and he moaned against Bruce’s lips, kissing him deeply before trailing more of those same hot, desperate kisses along Bruce’s jawline and neck. They didn’t have much time. Anyone deciding to use the lab might find them. The caterers might show up early. The idea that someone might catch them, see what they’d been trying to hide for so long... it was just one more thrill and Tony sank down to his knees all at once, tugging Bruce’s pants and underwear down as he went.  
  
It was incredibly satisfying, hearing Bruce’s gasp of surprise when Tony actually pulled Bruce’s pants down instead of just unfastening them. And it made a jolt of pleasure go straight down Tony’s spine and to his cock the very moment that Bruce slid his hands into Tony’s hair in response. Bruce’s hands in his hair meant one thing: hair pulling. And there were few things in the world that made Tony harder than having his hair pulled while he was already turned on. He groaned against the underside of Bruce’s cock, running his tongue along the sensitive length of it as he watched Bruce from underneath his eyelashes.  
  
The taste of salt and heat against the tip of his tongue. The way Bruce’s eyes closed and his body shuddered in pleasure. The feel of Bruce’s hands curling in his hair, tugging him in little urgent movements. Tony savored every moment of it, even though he couldn’t take his time. He swallowed Bruce down an inch at a time, every exhaled breath another little moan of pleasure that reverberated along his lover’s cock.  
  
Less than 18 minutes before the caterers were set to arrive. Tony had forgotten to keep track of the time. He’d forgotten everything except the way Bruce’s hips rocked minutely, the way he knew Bruce wanted to fuck his mouth. Tony groaned again, his lover’s responsiveness making him too hard to think. He rocked his head, finding a steady rhythm and pull of suction even as he unfastened his own pants and got a hand on his own hard cock.  
  
The urgency took on a life of its own, compelled Tony to start stroking himself off at the same time that his tongue was pressed lasciviously against the underside of Bruce’s cock. Bruce pulled his hair sharply and Tony barely had time to lift his head enough to swallow before Bruce started to come, groaning his pleasure as he rolled his hips and pressed himself against Tony’s mouth repeatedly.  
  
Tony’s own orgasm was sudden and intense, and he found himself resting his forehead against Bruce’s thigh as he found his own climax. “Nn... fuck... oh fuck...” His voice sounded hoarse, even to his own ears -- there was no way that someone wouldn’t suspect why, but Tony found that he couldn’t make himself care even slightly.  
  
Bruce slumped against the wall, panting and just listening to Tony. He was too shaky to do more than that, but once they’d both caught their breath, he murmured, "After they have gone I am dragging you to bed whether the tree is done or not."  
  
”Wh... whatever you want... god...”  
  
Bruce slowly sank down to the floor, pants still around his ankles, and wrapped his arms around Tony. He pulled his fiancé into a kiss. "Making up for time we haven't lost yet?"  
  
Tony closed his eyes and shivered. He felt hot all over, sated, weak. If he could have, he would have curled up on the floor and taken a nap at that point. ”Mm... stocking up for the two weeks I’m going to spend wanting you more than breathing.”  
  
"... Let's put Steve and Pepper in a room far far away from ours. Deal?”  
  
“Deal.” Tony ran a hand through Bruce’s hair, brushing his fingertips against the sweat-damp curls at the nape of his fiancé’s neck. ”We... should probably take the quickest shower in the history of washing, and get dressed again.”  
  
Bruce nodded and looked around the lab. "Think we can stand?”  
  
“Just barely,” Tony replied breathlessly. He got to his feet, still trembling, and stepped out of his own pants -- there was just no point in trying to pull them back on for the short trek to the elevator. If anyone had been on their way to the lab, they’d have definitely overheard by now anyway. Plus, they had JARVIS to warn them. He offered Bruce a hand up, still shivering.  
  
Bruce took Tony’s hand, and between that and the wall he managed to stand up as well. “Mm.”  
  
“Mmhmm.”  
  
And with that bit of profound conversation, the two made their way to the elevator and returned to the penthouse for their shower. Exactly 8 minutes later, as they were stepping out of said shower, JARVIS announced the arrival of the caterers.  
  
Thank you Jarvis,” Bruce said as he toweled off. He doubted he’d be able to make a single decision about the food at this point -- Tony had turned every option into bliss.  
  
“Yes, thank you. Where are my pants?” Tony’s voice was still rough, still a little dazed. He wrapped the towel around his waist and looked around the bedroom.  
  
Bruce kissed Tony softly. "Clean pants. Closet."  
  
“Mmm. Yes,” Tony said sleepily as he leaned against Bruce a little, then blinked. ”... Need to at least pretend that we’ve been decorating the tree.” It struck Tony as just how euphemistic that sounded as he went to rummage through the closet for a pair of pants.  
  
Bruce grabbed a t-shirt, and a pair of jeans, getting dressed quickly. "You do a little work on the tree and I'll meet them when they get here?”  
  
Tony threw on another band shirt and a new pair of jeans, hopping on one foot to get dressed without having to sit down. He tugged Bruce into a quick kiss, coherency returning amid the need to be presentable for their only option for catering the wedding. ”Yes, stall them. I can’t remember if Pepper said she was going to be with them or not.”  
  
"I'll stall them as long as I can. JARVIS, tell him when we're coming in.”  
  
“Of course, Sir. The caterers are downstairs now. Shall I have the reception desk notify them that you will be down to escort them presently?”  
  
“Yes, I'll be right there JARVIS, thank you."  
  
“Most welcome, Sir. Miss Potts has joined the caterers as well, and I’ve let them know that you will be down to show them to the penthouse.”  
  
Bruce paused only long enough to blow Tony a kiss and then he was headed for the elevator.  
  
Tony dashed for the den and looked at the tree. “... time to get creative.” 

\---------------

  
The caterers were a locally owned business comprised of three generations of family members. Bruce was greeted by the mother, two of the daughters, and a ridiculous amount of food on platters and trays, neatly stacked and on a cart. There were also a few boxes -- decorations and table settings.  
  
Bruce smiled at the women and Pepper worked her usual magic.  
  
“Mrs. Parisi , Serena, Elena -- this is Dr. Bruce Banner,” she began.  
  
“Oh the groom,” Serena exclaimed. She beamed at Bruce, and Elena nodded and smiled as Bruce shook hands all around.  
  
“You are a very lucky woman, Ms. Potts,” Elena murmured.  
  
“Actually I'm getting married to a man... If you're ready we can head upstairs and you can meet him,” Bruce said with a smile.  
  
There were a few words back and forth in Italian, but no disapproving looks. Mrs. Parisi took control of the situation and tutted. ”Of course, we would love to meet your husband. A lucky man, I think yes.”  
  
Pepper pretended to be very interested in her folders until Bruce moved to escort them to the elevator. “Do you need me to help you two, or will you be alright on your own?”  
  
“I'd like your opinion if you're willing to join us for the tasting Pepper,” Bruce replied. He knew that she’d been taking on more work for them in order to help out with the scheduling demands, and he also knew that Tony would be more likely to discuss choices instead of letting Bruce choose it all if there was a third party involved.  
  
“Of course I am, Bruce. I want to help out, however I can. I did get to see the menu and it looks lovely.” Pepper stepped onto the elevator with the other ladies and Bruce followed to key in the code for the penthouse.  
  
“We were able to get the decorations you requested too -- the campanello, ah, the bells,” Serena chimed in as they went up.  
  
“We wanted something mostly traditional... but we snuck something a little different into the appetisers,” Bruce said, smiling at Pepper before he turned to Serena. “Oh thank you. I'm so glad.”  
  
“Yes, all will be ready on time,” Mrs. Parisi said reassuringly. “We are happy to help Not every day one gets married, hmm?”  
  
“And it wouldn’t be Tony getting married if there wasn’t something out of the ordinary involved,” Pepper said cheerfully as she stepped from the elevator.  
  
The tree was a little sparse, but beautiful -- ornaments, and tinsel were already in place, as were the lights. Dum-E held out an ornament to Tony as everyone arrived, and he put it in place as though he hadn’t just started decorating five minutes prior.  
  
Bruce showed the ladies in, and peeked into the den proper, "Tony, do you have a moment?”  
  
“Of course,” Tony grinned at them all and bounded over to introduce himself. “I’m at your service, ladies. Bruce tells me that you are the best caterers anywhere in Manhattan.”  
  
“This is Mrs. Parisi and her daughters, Elena and Serena. My fiance, Tony Stark.”  
  
The realization that Bruce was marrying Tony Stark, yes _that_ Tony Stark, went from generation to generation of Parisi, starting with the youngest daughter, Serena and then to Elena and lastly to Mrs. Parisi herself. Tony found himself glad that they’d agreed to the NDA in advance -- the more outside help they had, the more complicated it was becoming to keep the wedding under wraps.  
  
“Delighted, ladies,” Tony said with a grin and he gave each of them a little hug before moving to help with the trays and boxes of decorations.  
  
Setting up the food trays was easy -- they had room in the den to set out several platters at once. The decorations were more challenging in that Tony couldn’t resist opening the boxes and ringing the little green and red and gold bells.  
  
“Stop playing with the decorations and help me with this, Esmeralda,” Bruce murmured as he went past with a tray of puri. Tony’s swat just earned him a snicker and a bright grin from Bruce.  
  
Then came the tasting.  
  
There were a couple of options for dressing, several different sauces, and with the amount of food the ladies had brought, they all spent a very pleasant hour discussing which items tasted best out of everything.  
  
Tony found himself deferring to Bruce and occasionally to Pepper when Bruce got overwhelmed by the sheer variety. He had only one real request -- no cardamom whatsoever in anything -- and only one genuine preference (for the macaroni and cheese, a dish so deeply into the ‘sides’ category that it was hardly worth noting).  
  
Thankfully, Bruce was more than willing to step in and make the most of the decisions. It made Tony smile, watching his fiancé take control and knowing that Bruce felt comfortable enough to make decisions for them both was just one more way that this marriage felt right.  
  
“These were all delicious, thank you, Mrs. Parisi,” Tony said as they finished up the last of the menu choices.  
  
“Yes, everything was so perfect that it was difficult to choose,” Bruce said with a smile.  
  
“Ah, and now time for tasting the cake, yes?” Mrs. Parisi beamed at them both as the two younger ladies got up and brought out the the pretty decorated wedding and groom cake samples. “Though there are two grooms, so we are not sure... there will be a groom cake and a wedding cake or no?”  
  
Bruce looked to Tony and squeezed his hand. "Do we want grooms cakes?"  
  
Tony considered, curling his fingers against Bruce’s as he looked at (and tasted) their options. “There’s only fourteen of us.... but wait, one of those is Thor. We probably should”  
  
“...Good point,” Bruce nodded. “In fact, better make it enough food for 20 as well.”  
  
Mrs. Parisi looked between her two daughters and they came to a consensus with nods all around before she spoke again. ”We can do, yes. We will set up on Christmas morning, and come back the next day to take this down.”  
  
“Perfect, thank you ladies,” Bruce said with a smile. Tony offered him a little bite of each of the cakes and he found himself agreeing with his fiancé yet again: they would definitely want both.  
  
“Mm, these are wonderful. Yes, both cakes. And we’re all decided. We’ll make sure there’s ample space for you to set up -- I’ll have someone bring over a blueprint and pictures so you can see the layout,” Tony took over smoothly on the logistics and Bruce squeezed his hand with a smile. Tony found himself looking into Bruce’s eyes and wanting nothing more than to share a bite of cake in several little kisses.  
  
Pepper’s voice brought him back to the present. “Well, if that’s everything, I can see you ladies downstairs.”  
  
“Oh, wait,” Tony said, and he snuck a kiss to Bruce’s temple before letting him go. “Let me take care of the balance now. Do whatever you need to, to make this happen.” Tony grinned at the caterers and grabbed his checkbook to take care of any incidentals along with the cost of the catering itself.  
  
“Thank you again ladies,” Bruce said as Tony handed the check over. “If you have any questions, you have my contact number.”  
  
“Oh you are very welcome, both of you. Weddings are always so fun, so exciting.” Mrs. Parisi beamed at them both and Tony dutifully escorted them to the elevator.  
  
He only paused a moment at the doorway, but that moment was long enough for Bruce to join him, and to put an arm around his waist for the rest of that brief walk. Pepper departed as well to see the caterers to their car, and suddenly Tony and Bruce were alone again.  
  
“Well... we got a few bells for the tree,” Tony said with a nod to the sample decorations.  
  
Bruce kissed Tony softly. "And we have a tree. It's even partly decorated.”  
  
“Mmm. Just this side,” Tony admitted with a grin. ”I had to make it look like we’d gotten a lot done.” He showed Bruce where the ornaments stopped, at the line of sight on the other side of the room. ”Maybe... we can finish decorating the tree after we get the mistletoe hung in the bedroom?”  
  
Bruce chuckled. "Yes, that sounds like a plan.”  
  
“After you, Doctor?” Tony smiled and lowered his eyelashes.  
  
“No,” Bruce said as he shook his head, nabbed Tony by the hand, and tugged him towards the bedroom. "Together."


End file.
